Project: LOOP

The South Loop neighborhood is changing at the speed of light. It’s hard to walk down the street and not see a construction crane in the sky or hear the noises associated with development.

Years ago, this area was pretty much desolate. Businesses abandoned, people vacated to suburbs, and it was kind of a ghost town. Today, the area is bustling with new businesses, new residents, huge luxury condos, beautiful parks, (even ones especially for dogs) and much more.
Not only are more condos going up, but big name businesses are moving in, too. Home Depot recently opened a store on Clinton Street off W. Roosevelt Road. DSW shoes is now open for shoppers. Best Buy and Whole Foods plan to open soon. Life in the South Loop is changing. Critics say the boom in construction is creating some headaches including high property taxes, lack of parking, more crime, and gentrification. In the recent aldermanic election, development was one of the big issues for the 2nd Ward (where the South Loop calls home). Madeline Haithcock, (who held office for 14 years) lost to Bob Fioretti in the aldermanic runoff election April 17th. Haithcock talked a lot about what the area used to be and how she helped make it what is today. Fioretti said development was happening too fast in a concentrated area and that changes needed to be made.
I recently had the opportunity to do a story on the increase in residential and commercial development in the South Loop. I talked to residents, a real estate agent, property tax lawyers, and community activists to get their take on what’s going on. Take a look and you’ll learn some pretty interesting stuff about what’s happening here in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exR3oDzhoJU